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Jim Kelly declared cancer-free

SportsNetwork.com
6:05 p.m. CDT September 4, 2014

Jim Kelly on the sidelines prior to the game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants at the 2014 NFL Hall of Fame Game at Fawcett Stadium on August 3, 2014 in Canton, Ohio.(Photo: Jason Miller Getty Images)

BUFFALO, NY - Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly released a statement Thursday announcing that doctors treating him for a recurrence of cancer have proclaimed him to be free of the disease.

Kelly underwent a series of biopsies in his jaw last Thursday at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, which treating physician Dr. Peter Costantino told the former Buffalo Bills star indicated no evidence of cancer.

"This is some of the greatest news I've ever gotten," said Kelly. "It's been a long road, and I'm still not back to one hundred percent, but I have a lot to be thankful for."

Kelly's initial bout with squamous cell carcinoma led to the removal of a portion of his jaw in 2013. The cancer returned this past March and forced the 54-year-old to undergo a series of chemotherapy and radiation treatments over the past few months.

"I am so thankful for the support and prayers of my family, my friends near and far, and everyone in Western New York and throughout the country through my illness. I also want to thank the medical specialists who have done such amazing work," Kelly said. "Most of all, I want to thank God. Without my faith and God's constant presence, there would be no such thing as 'Kelly Tough.'"